Archive for Online Small Groups

All week I’ve posted about online small groups and today I’ll share some concluding thoughts for the series.

Online Groups Aren’t All That Different. vPeople seem to think there’s a huge difference between online groups and face-to-face groups. Really, thanks to technology, there’s very little difference at all. As my favorite philosopher, Yoda, once said: “No different. Only different in your mind.”

Utilize Online Groups Locally. One mistake I think many churches make is to pigeon hole online groups by thinking of them only in terms of “long-distance groups.” Online groups can take place locally. I have some friends who have a child with a weak immune system. Their child can NEVER leave the home except to go to the doctor. This can only leave the home together when they have a baby sitter. An online group could be a great solution for them! The couple could attend a group together and never have to worry about special care for their son. People who work in the busy corporate world can benefit from online groups. People living in a bedroom community can benefit from online groups. Stay-at-home-moms can benefit from them. The only thing limiting online groups is our thinking and our imagination!!!

Online Groups Will Be Mainstream. Talk about online groups all the time just like you do typical groups. Remember, Sunday School? During its hay day, small groups outside the walls of the church building were thought of as dangerous and different. Video projectors in the worship service were considered wild and cutting edge. Rock and roll, television and the internet were all thought to be pure evil. Now these things are mainstream in our approach to ministry. Online groups are new and strange today, but tomorrow they’ll be considered normal. Truth be told, online community already is normal outside the church…it’s time for us to catch up!

Don’t be afraid. Don’t wait for a committee to approve it. Don’t worry about needing help, just contact me and I’ll be glad to walk you through some first steps at no charge! BOTTOM LINE: Stop thinking about it and get started! Online Small Groups Are Now!

In my opinion, the debate about whether or not online groups work is over conclusively. The question now is “How can we incorporate online groups into our church’s regular small group strategy?” At LifeChurch.tv online groups were part of our strategy, but this isn’t the case in most churches. Below are some of the steps you can take to fully integrate online groups into your small group strategy this fall.

As the ministry leader, start an online group of your own. By doing this you’ll learn how to navigate the joys and the challenges that your future online group leaders will experience.

Think of online groups like every other group. Don’t allow yourself to think that online groups are something different, separate, or less-than groups that meet in physical locations.

Add “online group” as a location or group type category in your small group database (see image 1 below).

Market online groups to the congregation. Specifically target groups like business people and stay-at-home-moms. The convenience of online groups is especially relevant for them. (see image 2 below for a sample bulletin announcement)

Give away a few webcams and headsets to the first few online groups that start.

Use an “online small group tip sheet”. Create your own or you can download the one on my free resources page. View my online group tip sheet by clicking here (.pdf reader required).

There are countless ways to take advantage of online technology in your group ministry all it takes is some out-of-the-box thinking and the guts to try something new. If you’ve got any ideas for integrating online groups into a small group ministry that I’ve not shared here, by all means leave a comment and help everyone out!

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Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for my final thoughts on this week’s series about online groups!